Checking indicator for railway cars



May 14, 1929. c:. F. SCHELL 1,712,586

CHECKING INDICATOR FOR RAiELWAY CARS Filed March 30, 1928 .152 uerz i or; 6 F SM l Patented May 14, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,712,586 PATENT OFFICE.

GHARLES F. SCHELL, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD 'I'O GEORGE EOHELL AND ONE-THIRD TO ROBERT W. SCHELL, BOTH OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

CHECKING INDICATOR FOR RAILWAY CARS.

Application filed March 30, 1928. Serial No. 265,875.

To check the destinations oi various car passengers, conductors in taking up the tickets commonly use diiierently-coloredpa per slips or markers which, after punchlng, they thrust under the hat-bands of passengers or into crevices of the upholstered seatbacks.

These slips or checks, being printed with day, month and year columns and used but once, are a considerable item of expense and the punching operation requires more or less time. v i

The primary object of my invention is the provision of an inexpensive checking indicator which may be attached to the carwall adjacent to each seat, so that as the conductor collects the tickets, he may by a simple and quick manipulation adjust the indicators at the various seats in accordance with the stations or destinations called for by the tickets, thus indicating to him at a glance how far each passenger may travel and saving the cost of the paper checks and the time incident to their use.

A further object of the invention is the production of an, indicator of this character whichicannot be easily tampered with by passengers and which is neat and compact and at the same time affords an extensive bearing for the rotary parts oi. the device.

in the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a face view of the indicator secured to the wall of a railway car. Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse vertical sec tion thereof ouline 2--2, Figure 1.. Figure 3 is a rear view oi the same, partly in sec tion. Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical section similar to Figure 2 showing a modilied construction of some of the parts. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the dial-wheel oi? said modification.

Similar characters of reference indicate a corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The indicator shown in the drawing is of duplex construction to adapt it to two passengers occupying the sameseat, one for the person sitting next to the wall of the car and the other for the one next to the aisle, but the device may obviously be made with a single indicating member.

he indicator of each seat may be secured to the car wall between the adjacent windows, as shown. In the preferred form, its casing has a front wall 10 provided with a rearwardly extending rim 11, its back consisting of a base-board 12 which may be fastened to it by screws 13, the board in. turn being screwed to the car-wall.

The two dial units are identical in construction. A description of one will therefore suflice for both. let indicates a rotary dial or dial-ring which has on its face a circular row of numerals 15 or other characters each of which indicates one of the stations along the railway line and which are exposed one at a time through a sight aperture 16 in the front wall of the casing. Below this aperture is a collar or bearing 17 extending rearwardly from said wall and journaled in the bearing is a rotary cylinder 18 to which the dial 14.- is connected to turn therewith. The bearing 17 may be integrally formed with the front wall of the casing 10 or it may be made separate, asshown in Figure 2, and soldered or otherwise secured to the casing. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the dial is provided with a rcarwardlyextending annular rim or collar 19 having an inwardlyextending annular web or member 20 which is soldered or otherwise fastened to the inner end of the cylinder 18. This construction results in a dial-wheel having a cupped central portion which receives thebearing 17 and permits the dial itself to be brought closely to the sight-aperture 1.6 where its numbers can be easily read. This cupped form permits the use of a coinparatively long bearing for the diatjournal or cylindi-n', obtaining a durable construction. and a reliable action of the indicator without increasing its bulk.

The cylinder is held against longitudinal displacement by suitable means, such as pins 21 projecting from the bearing 17 into an annular groove 22 of the cylinder. The latter has a longitudinal slot or lrcy hole 23 adapted to receive a key 2 1 for turning the cylinder and the dial. This slot terminates short of the cylinder bottom, which is provided with a small round hole 25, is adapted to receive an unlocking pin 26 at the front end of the key.

The dial is retained in any oi its various adjustments by a locking member, preferably consisting of a flat spring or blade 27 secured to a cleat 28 of the casing and provided at its free end with a stud 29 adapted to interlock with any one of a circular series the last station.

of openings or recesses 30 in the web located in radial alinement with the respective numerals of the dial. The spring of this look or catch normally bears against.

the back of the dial-wheel and extends over the opening of the cylinder, so that upon inserting the proper key in the cylinder slot, the spring can be pushed to disengage its stud from the dial-wheel, as shown in connection with the spring of the upper indicator-unit in Figure 2, thus unlocking the dial and permitting its free rotation by the key' Whose body is flat-sided for this purpose.

To simplify the construction of the device i and reduce its cost, the springs of the two units are formed of a single strip secured centrally to the cleat 28, as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

Inthe use of the invention, the conductor as he takes up a passengers ticket, inserts his key in the hole of the corresponding indicator to unlock the dial after which he turns it until the'number thereof which denotes the passengers destination appears 0 posite the sight-aperture, when he wit 1- draws'the key to release the spring catch and again lock the dial. In this way, he sets the indicators of all the passengers and in passing through the cars after each trainstop he can tell by a glance at the indicators which of passengers boarded the train at Each dial remains locked until the corresponding passenger leaves the train and another takes his'seat when the conductor resets the indicator accordingly.

As shown, the key holes of the double indicator may be distinguished by the letters A and W, denoting the aisle and window 7 seats, respectively.

The conductors key and the key holes of the cylinders may be made of an irregular or unusual shape not easily duplicated, so

that when an indicator is once set by the conductor for a passengers destination, it remains so until changed by him for another passenger.

To baflle attempts to push the springs 27 out of engagement with the dial-wheels by a small wire nail or similar article, each spring is provided in alinement with the key hole of the corresponding cylinder with an opening 31 large enough to permit free passage of the article and avoid deflection of the spring, yet so small that it will not receive the pin 26 of the key, thus insuring release of the dial-wheel by a proper key.

This improved indicator while facilitating the passenger checking work of the conductor, dispenses with and saves the cost of the printed checks in common use which are required in large quantities. It also saves the time of punching and placing them and avoids the liability of loss or misplacement of the checks. The indicator is unlocked and adjusted by practically one and the same act, being automatically locked by the withdrawal of the key. This renders its use quick and convenient.

In the modification shown in Figures 4 and 5, the locking recesses of the dial-wheel consist of notches 30 formed in a rearwardly-extending rim 32 of the dial. The central portion of the dial-wheel has a rearwardly-extending collar 19 which surrounds the bearing 17 and is formed with an inwardly-extending flange 20 secured to the rearend of the rotary cylinder.

I claim as my invention 1. An indicator of the character described, comprising a casing provided in its front wall with a sight-aperture and a bearing extending rearwardly from said wall, a rotary cylinder journaled in said bearing, a dial-wheel including a dial arranged in close proximity to the apertured front wall of the casing, a collar extending rearwardly from the dial and an annular member extending inwardly from said collar and secured to the rear end of said cylinder, and means for locking said cylinder against rotation.

2. An indicator of the character described, comprising a casing provided in its front wall with a sight-a )erture and a bearing extending rearwardly from said wall, a rotary cylinder journaled in said bearing, a dialwheel including a dial arranged in close proximity to the apert-ured front wall of the casing, a collar extending rearwardly from the dial and an annular member extending inwardly from said collar and secured to the rear end of said cylinder, and means for locking said cylinder against rotation arranged adjacent to the rear end thereof, said cylinder being provided with a longitudinal key hole.

3. An indicator of the character described, comprising a casing provided in its front wall with a sight-aperture and a bearing in said wall, a rotary cylinder journaled in said bearing, a rotary indicating dial arranged in said casing and connected with said cylinder to rotate therewith, said dial having a circular row of locking openings, and a retractible locking device arranged to engage with said openings and having a part located adjacent to the rear end of said cylinder, the latter having a longitudinal opening for the passage of a key.

4. An indicator of the character described, comprising a casing provided in its front wall with a sight-aperture and a bearing in said wall, a rotary cylinder journaled in said bearing, a rotary indicating dial arraged in said casing and connected with said cylinder to rotate therewith, said dial having a circular row of locking openings, and locking means comprising a spring blade extending across the rear end of said cylinder and having a stud arranged to interlock with one or another of said openings, said cylinder having a longitudinal opening for the passage of a key to release said looking means and turn the cylinder.

5. An indicator of the character described, comprising a casing, having sight-apertures, dial-units arranged in said casing and each including a rotary dial having a circular row of looking openings and a unitary blade spring secured centrally to a support, the arms of the spring extending across the backs of said dials respectively and each arm having a locking stud arranged to engage with one or another of the openings of the companion dial.

6. An indicator of the character described, comprising a casing, a rotary dial, a rotary cylinder carrying the dial and provided with a key hole, locking means for said dial including a spring blade extending across the inner end of said cylinder and having an opening in line with said key hole, said opening being smaller than the part of the key which engages said spring.

7. An indicator of the character described, comprising a casing, a rotary dial, a rotary cylinder carrying the dial and provided with a key hole and locking means for said dial including a retractible Jart extending across the rear end of said cylinder, said part having an opening in alinement with said key hole smaller than the member of the key adapted to engage said part to retract it.

' CHARLES F. SCHELL. 

